


The Rink

by PrairieFarmGirl



Series: The Rink [1]
Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms, Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: 80's Music, Alternate Universe - 1980s, F/M, High School, Rollerblades & Rollerskates, Skating, Snogging, Teen Romance, Teenagers, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:15:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23677480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrairieFarmGirl/pseuds/PrairieFarmGirl
Summary: 1980′s AU:  Claire is 15, Jamie is 16.  Claire has a secret crush on the new boy, Jamie, who came to Fraser’s Ridge from Scotland.  She sees him at the roller skating rink and she finds out he likes her, too.  This was intended to be a one-shot, but there are some ficlets brewing on the horizon, so stay tuned for those!  I really love this nostalgic story.  Takes me straight back…{sigh}
Relationships: Claire Beauchamp/Jamie Fraser
Series: The Rink [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1704958
Comments: 14
Kudos: 45





	The Rink

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to find the song I write about, you can easily search for it on YouTube or the like. The song “I Love You” by Climax Blues Band was a very popular song of the time, and for starry-eyed teenagers (like me…damn it I just aged myself!), it was a great song for dancing, couples skating, or a wee bit of making out. 
> 
> And yes, I made it such that Jamie was perfect. He can wink and sing, too. Bless his heart, he deserves one story where he is perfect in the eyes of a girl who swoons over him.
> 
> See the extra note at the end for a bit more…enjoy!

**_1980_ **

**_Fraser’s Ridge, North Carolina_ **

Geillis, Louise and Claire walked into the roller skating rink and headed straight to the girls room to freshen up their hair and makeup, excited for their evening out. Being 15 years old, they weren’t old enough to go to the bars but if you were a young teenager, this was the place to be. Friday and Saturday nights were especially crowded with teens. The trio were regulars and had even gotten their own coveted skates. 

They had taken great care with getting ready tonight. Word had it that the boys from Fraser’s Ridge that they had been eyeing were going to be there tonight. Claire wore her new skate shorts and striped knee socks with a white camisole top. Geillis and Louise had helped her manage her hair so that it wasn’t so poofy. The humidity of the North Carolina late spring wasn’t best suited for her curly, out of control mane.

Geillis had helped both Claire and Louise with their makeup, as well, having been deemed an expert thanks to the many tutorials in “Seventeen” magazine. Claire wasn’t one to wear a lot of makeup yet, but the evening called for it. She checked in the mirror and applied another layer of lip gloss (strawberry flavored, with the perfect touch of pink tint). Smacking her lips together, she asked, “Are you girls ready?”

Geillis, primping one last red curl into the perfect position to frame her face, said, “I’m ready. Ready Louise?”

“I guess so. I do hope Charles is here tonight! Let’s go.”

Claire pocketed her tube of lip gloss and followed them out. 

The benches surrounding the rink were full of teenagers putting on their roller skates and scanning the crowd to see who was in attendance tonight. 

Claire took a seat between Geillis and Louise. She bent over to take off her shoes and put on her skates, tightening the pink laces and wrapping the end around her skate several times before tying them into bows. She adjusted her knee socks, stashed her shoes under the bench, then stood up to wait for Geillis and Louise. She glanced around but didn’t see the boys from Fraser’s Ridge yet, much to her disappointment. 

She had been watching the new boy, Jamie Fraser, with interest at school for sometime, but was too shy to approach him. He had arrived in the states with his family last summer, coming from Scotland. She was attracted to his thick accent as it reminded her of home. She came from England herself a few years ago, having moved here to live with Uncle Lamb when he accepted a position at a local university. Her locker was next to his in the hallway. He talked to her briefly in passing and was always polite, picking up her Trapper Keeper when she accidentally dropped it, or saying “excuse me” when he accidentally bumped into her during the crush to reach lockers between classes. 

He had even danced with her a few times at school dances, but he always maintained a respectable distance from her. 

The DJ for the evening had finally lowered the house lights and turned on the colored lights that lit up the rink overhead in shades of red, green, yellow and blue. As he began a song by Queen, he announced “Everyone ready to skate?”

The crowd cheered and began to skate to the floor. Already, you could tell where to skate. The wall-huggers learning to skate were on the outside. You avoided that area like the plague. The middle was taken up with people who liked to show off and do stunts. You avoided that, too. You skated between them, careful of those around you. No one liked to fall and hurt their tail bone, ruining their evening. 

The trio navigated the skaters, singing along with the song “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”. As they passed the front of the rink, someone caught their attention, singing loudly:

> _There goes my baby  
>  _ _She knows how to rock and roll  
>  _ _She drives cray-ay-zy_

Louise laughed and rolled over to the wall, recognizing Charles’ voice singing out to her. He was leaning casually against the wall, drinking a Coke. As Geillis and Claire moved to join her, Claire was suddenly flattened to the floor by a beginner who had attempted to navigate without the assistance of the wall too soon. Rudely, the skater crawled to his feet and moved on, not even saying he was sorry or to check if he was okay. 

Claire had had the air knocked from her so she was sitting on the floor when she heard a deep Scottish voice ask, “Are ye okay?”

She looked up and there on the floor by her was Jamie. He must have only just arrived because he had yet to put on his skates. 

Claire nodded and took a shaky breath. She took both hands he extended to her and he carefully eased her to her feet, holding her by her elbow until she was steady. “Come sit for a bit. Ye can have my Coke. That Philip Wylie hit ye pretty hard, the arse.” She gratefully accepted his help and he held her arm as he walked her to the bench against the wall. Sitting down next to her, he offered her his Coke. She thanked him and took a sip and took another deep breath. 

Truthfully, she didn’t know what had shaken her more: Philip Wylie knocking the air out of her or the fact that Jamie Fraser had touched her and was being so kind to her. She tried to act cool about it, but Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ. He was just too gorgeous for words. She’d never in life been so happy to fall down at a skating rink.

She took another drink and said, “I owe you for a Coke.”

“Nae, ye dinnae need to pay me back for it. It’s on me.”

“Well, that’s very nice of you. Thank you.” 

She truthfully didn’t know what else to say. She leaned over to sort out her lace that had come undone and was all knotted up. As she did, Jamie jumped up and came around in front of her, kneeling. “Here. I’ll get that. Ye just sit back, relax for a wee bit and catch yer breath.”

As she leaned back, she noticed that his eyes had glanced quickly down her camisole shirt. She grinned inwardly and wondered if he really saw anything at all. She knew he couldn’t have. Her boobs were locked up tighter than Fort Knox in this strapless bra. She noted the tips of his ears had turned bright red as he worked to fix her lace. 

Was he blushing then? Claire quickly covered her mouth to hide her giggle and tried to wipe the smile off her face.

He finally got her knot laced properly and with a “there ye go!” and a tap on her skate, he sat back down by her and began to kick off his own shoes to put on his skates. Claire noticed his black skates were well worn.

“Do you skate then? I’ve never seen you here before.”

“I do. My sister, Jenny, and I used to go skating all the time before we moved here. We’ve just been so busy getting settled. Da built our house, so I had to help with that and getting things set up around the stables for the horses. Now that things are situated, I have more free time. So here I am.” He gestured, spreading his arms, palms up.

Claire laughed. “Well then. I’m glad you turned up. We come here every Friday and Saturday night. It’s always a lot of fun.”

He finished lacing up his skates and then rubbed his palms on his thighs, accenting the somewhat awkward silence.

Claire stood up and he followed suit. “Well. I should be off and catch up with the girls, then. Thank you for the Coke and for helping me.”

“Yer welcome. See ye around, then.”

“See ya!” Claire gave him a little wave and skated off to the floor. 

She waited until Geillis and Louise came around the circle and she joined them out on the rink. 

“Well, tell us what happened!!” Geillis was nearly giddy with excitement. “Did he ask you out? What did he say?!”

“Oh for Pete’s sake, Geillie. He didn’t ask me out! He was just being kind to me. He helped me fix my lace since it came undone and was all knotted. And he gave me his Coke to drink. He said this was his first visit here tonight because he’s been busy helping his dad build their house and getting their horse stables set up.”

“I wondered why he never came here with the boys. I was beginning to think he was unsociable,” Louise said.

“Well, he’s not at all. He’s a perfect gentleman, really.” Claire sighed and smiled. 

Geillis and Louise laughed at her. Geillis looked at Louise and said, “Oh, here we go! Claire’s in looooooooovvvvveeee!”

Claire smacked her and told her to shut up. But she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She was saved from further embarrassment by the DJ’s announcement.

“Alright skaters! Everyone exit the floor. Our first game tonight will be for a large one-topping pizza of your choice at the concession stand. Line up for THE LIMBO!”

The girls exited the floor, deciding to pass on the game. Louise led them over to where she saw Charles and his friends leaning over the wall watching. As they took their places by the boys, Claire glanced around but didn’t see Jamie anywhere.

Suddenly, she heard Ian yell out, “Don’t fall on your arse, Jamie!” and the boys all exploded with laughter.

Claire looked out on the floor and there he was. Jamie was in line for the limbo. Claire was a good skater but could never manage to get underneath the bar. The taller she got, the harder it was, so she always opted out, preferring not to wipe out in front of everyone. Besides, it was always more fun to watch and yell out good-natured jibes at the participants.

The music started and the line began to proceed under the bar. One by one, skaters fell as the bar got lower and lower. Once, Jamie looked their way when Ian and Charles yelled at him and pretended to nearly fall over but expertly recovered. 

As the line dwindled, leaving only the advanced skaters, the excitement rose. Jamie crouched under the bar successfully each time.

Finally, the bar was set so low that no one thought Jamie had a chance, given his height. The DJ was encouraging the two remaining skaters and the crowd had clearly chosen sides. The girl who went first was shorter and was the usual winner. But this time, she hit the bar and knocked it off, making Jamie the winner. But that wasn’t enough for Jamie. He wanted to prove he could get under that bar. 

He backed up, crouched down as low as he could get, then eased out his left foot. Claire held her breath. She knew there was no possible way he could manage to get his tall body that low and not fall down. He skated up to the line and stood back up, shaking his head, grinning at his friends. 

The crowd laughed and his friends yelled, “Do it Jamie!!”

Jamie laughed and skated back to where he started, winking at Claire as he passed her. Claire’s heart swelled and she clapped along with her friends, cheering him on.

This time, Jamie skated slowly toward the line, his long legs beginning to part. 

Ian exclaimed, “Would ya look at him?! He’s going to do the splits!”

Claire’s eyebrows raised nearly to her hairline. She’d never seen a boy do the splits, let alone do them on roller skates. 

His legs spread farther and farther apart and he leaned forward, his hands sliding down his legs to keep his balance. 

And then he did the impossible. He flattened almost to the floor and skated right under the bar, with barely a wisp of space to spare. 

The crowd erupted in cheers! They’d never seen anyone accomplish what he had done. Oh, they’d heard of it, of course, but no one ever actually *did* it. 

Claire jumped up and down, cheering as Jamie skated over to him.

Charles and Ian gave him a high-five as Louise raved, “Wow! Where in the world did you learn to do that, Jamie?!”

He laughed, red with embarrassment, “Weel, I played what you Americans call soccer in Scotland. Our coach always insisted that we do stretches and exercises so that we were flexible. It helped us on the field. That’s why I can do the splits. Not all the lads could do them, though.”

Everyone talked at once, congratulating him on a job well done.

Having had enough, Jamie yelled over them, “How about we all go check out that pizza. My treat!” Through all the cheers and talking at once, Claire hung back and smiled, suddenly shy. 

Jamie turned around, “Weel, come on Sassenach!”

She grinned and skated to the concessions with them.

**********

Having their fill of pizza and Cokes all around, they all took to the floor to skate. The boys were skating just ahead of the girls. Claire was truly impressed by Jamie’s skating skills, yet he didn’t show off like some of them did.

As the song that had been playing wrapped up, the lights that had been dancing around on the walls and the floor to the beat of the music slowed considerably and dimmed. 

“Skaters, it’s time for couples only. Grab a partner, everyone. Couples only.”

The girls exited the floor behind the boys. Charles, of course, grabbed Louise and took off. Ian skated off to look for Jamie’s sister, Jenny, his new steady girlfriend. Claire could only imagine the awkwardness of that, given that Jamie and Ian were best friends. Geillis saw a boy that she had been talking to and skated off toward him. That left Jamie and Claire. 

Claire waited. She noticed Jamie’s fingers tapping his thigh and wondered if he was just as nervous as she was. 

Finally, he asked, “Skate with me?”

Claire really tried (and failed miserably) not to beam with excitement. “Alright.”

He held out his hand for her and she took it. She hoped her palm wasn’t as sweaty as she thought it might be. Leading her out onto the floor, he dropped her hand and smoothly skated a little ahead and turned so he faced her, skating backwards. 

She was at a bit of a loss, given that most couples skated hand in hand. Realizing her quandary, he took her hands and placed them on his shoulders then slid his hands down her sides onto her hips. 

She couldn’t help the shiver that went straight down her spine. If he was subtly trying to impress her, he was doing a fine job of it.

“Move with me, now, and make sure we don’t run into anyone. I’m trusting ye. Alright, Sassenach?”

Sighting ahead of them, she asked, “Why do you call me Sassenach?”

“I dinnae mean any offense by it. Only that ye are an English person, ye see?”

“Oh. I see.”

The song playing was one of her favorites. Climax Blues Band’s “I Love You” was a popular couples skate song. She looked Jamie in the eyes (they were the bluest of blue eyes) and realized he was singing softly. He did that well, too.

> _You came along from far away and found me here  
>  _ _I was playin’ around, feelin’ down, hittin’ the beer  
>  _ _You picked me up from off the floor and gave me a smile  
>  _ _You said you’re much too young, your life ain’t begun, let’s walk for awhile_
> 
> _  
> _ _And as my head was spinnin’ round  
>  _ _I gazed into your eyes  
>  _ _And thought ooooo I want you.  
>  _ _  
> _
> 
> _Thank you babe for being my friend  
>  _ _And shinin’ your light in my life  
>  _ _‘Cause ooooo I need you._

As he sang, he was looking in her eyes. She was completely under his power. She barely remembered to watch where they were going. 

She registered the feel of his fingers sliding slowly up and down her sides. 

Before she even knew it, the song was over and the DJ announced all skate.

“Do ye want to go sit for a wee bit?”

Claire was still speechless, staring at him.

“Sassenach?”

“Oh! Yes. That would be great.”

They skated to the next exit and Claire started to go to the nearest bench. Jamie reached out and took her hand and guided her off into “The Corner”. 

“The Corner” was where it was darkest and farthest away from the adults at the front. Couples who wanted a bit more privacy went there to talk and to do a little bit more…

Claire wasn’t sure that Jamie actually knew that though. She followed him anyway. She’d never been back in The Corner with a boy before. But she wasn’t going to miss out on an opportunity with Jamie, even if he might not actually know that’s what it was.

As they looked for a seat, Claire noticed Geillis kissing with some older boy that she didn’t know. And of course, Charles and Louise were wrapped around each other right by them. 

Well, at least she knew where they had gotten off to. 

As he sat down, Jamie said a bit sheepishly, “Apparently skating rinks are all the same. The rink back in Scotland has a snogging area furthest from the front where all the adults are.”

Claire laughed, “I wondered if you knew what this was back here.

“I ken,” he smirked.

It was then that Claire became aware that he still had ahold of her hand. She wondered if he could actually hear her heartbeat pounding away in her chest. It sounded thunderously loud to her.

“Sassenach, if ye dinnae want to be back here, I dinnae want to be presumptuous. We can go somewhere else.”

“No!” Christ she was a ninny. “I mean, no. I don’t mind being back here with you.”

He smiled. “Good.”

“You are an excellent skater. Have you been at it for long?”

“Weel, in the highlands of Scotland, there isna much to do. We have a skating rink and that’s generally where all the kids go. Much like here.”

“I see. I learned when I moved here with my Uncle Lamb a few years ago. Before that, I traveled around the world with Uncle Lamb on archaeological digs so there weren’t many places to do things like skating. Geillis and Louise taught me in my first week here. Luckily for my bum, I’m a quick learner.”

Jamie laughed. “Ye do verra well, Sassenach.”

Claire reddened and looked down at their hands, fingers entwined. His thumb was softly rubbing along her knuckles. Glancing back at him, she noticed he was looking at their hands, too.

After a bit, he said softly, “I’ve wanted to get to know ye for quite some time. I just didna ken quite how to go about it, ye ken? Are ye allowed to go out on dates?”

“I’ve never been on a date before. I can ask Uncle Lamb, though. He would probably let me go out to eat or to a movie here in town.”

“Would ye like to do both, then? I wanted to go see “The Empire Strikes Back”. Is that okay?”

“Sure! I’ll just ask Uncle Lamb if it’s alright and I’ll let you know at school on Monday.”

Jamie beamed, “Great!”

Another round of silence, but this time it didn’t seem awkward with them. Just…comfortable. 

Finally he whispered, “Claire, I…” and he stopped, swallowing hard.

“May I kiss ye?”

Startled, Claire looked up into his eyes. Stunned into silence again, all she could do was nod her head. This was her first kiss. She knew *how* to go about it. Just not…well…how. 

He slowly leaned in toward her, a breath away from her lips, when he rested his forehead on hers and whispered, “I’ve never done this before.”

“Neither have I.”

He gently smiled at her. He touched her closed lips, soft as a butterfly’s wings. He pulled back barely an inch and asked, “More?”

“More would be amazing.” Leaning in he kissed her again, this time opening his lips just the tiniest bit. Her heart jumped up into her throat and she just knew that if she expired on this spot, she’d die the happiest girl in the entire world. 

He released her hand and slid his arm around her shoulders, and she followed putting hers around his waist. He was very warm and he smelled wonderful. He wore a hint of musky cologne that she breathed in and wanted to memorize. After a few chaste kisses, his breathing sped up and he grazed her lower lip with a feather light touch of his tongue. Claire had heard about French kissing, but it had never appealed to her. The swapping of spit just sounded gross.

Until tonight. 

At the first touch of his tongue to her’s, they both drew in a hard breath on a near gasp. A shot of electricity went down her spine and straight into her fingers and beyond, a slow heat spreading through her like hot lava. His tongue became a little bolder and they sealed their mouths together, not quite able to get enough. She threaded one hand up into his long red (yet red didn’t at all describe the color) curls. Their touch became bolder, too, ever mindful that they were in public.

After a few minutes (or was it thirty?), Jamie broke the kiss, chest heaving. “Claire…,” he said, his breathing ragged. “I think we should stop. As much as I want to keep on, I dinnae want to ruin yer reputation.” 

Claire grinned, trying to restore her breathing to normal. 

“Did ye like it?”

She couldn’t smile bigger if she tried. “I did, Jamie.” He tightened his hand around his shoulder, pulling her to his side. She laid her head upon his shoulder and he leaned in and softly kissed her above her ear. “Did you like it, too?”

“I did, Sassenach. In fact, if it’s all the same to ye, I think we’ll sit here for just a wee bit longer before we go out and skate again. I might’ve liked a bit TOO much. Ye ken?” He waved vaguely at his lap.

“Oh…OH!” Claire colored a brilliant shade of red. She knew all about that particular effect of kissing, too, thanks to Geillis who was a bit older and more experienced than Claire was. Her eyes dropped to that particular area of his lap, but it was way too dark in The Corner to see anything. 

“Did yer heart feel like it would beat straight out of yer chest?”

“It did. I’ve never kissed anyone before. I didn’t know it would feel quite like that. I mean, I knew you’d feel something on your mouth, but I didn’t realize all the other parts that would feel the kiss. Like my spine and finger tips.”

“Ye felt all that did ye? Weel then. I guess we did it alright?”

She looked at him. “Yeah. I think we did alright.” 

They smiled at each other, while the feeling of new love spread within them like a wildfire to dry kindling. 

“Are ye ready to go skate again, Sassenach?”

Standing up, Claire said, “Let’s go.”

**********

**_10 years later_ **

The crowd had been mingling out on the crowded floor. The guests of honor were among the crowd, thanking them for coming and catching up with those they hadn’t seen for way too many years. 

Near the front of the room, silverware tapped away on a champagne glass, calling everyone’s attention to the speaker. 

“I hope everyone enjoyed their dinner. Now, if you’ll please take your seats, the bride and the groom will take the dance floor and have their first dance as a married couple.”

The crowd cheered and left the floor as the couple found their way to the center of the dance floor and the lights were lowered. The bride, resplendent in a white off-the-shoulder dress moved in a cloud of satin and lace to her groom. He was absolutely breath-taking in his formal wear and kilt. He held out a hand to her and she took it.

Jamie pulled Claire into his arms and amidst a tinkling of utensils against glasses, the crowd beckoned the couple to kiss. Jamie, never one to turn down a chance to kiss his new wife, leaned in and kissed her well and truly to the delight of the crowd. 

Jamie hadn’t told Claire what song he chose for their first dance. He was generally agreeable to all her choices for their wedding, but he absolutely insisted that he have sole choice over their first dance song choice. He had promised her it was one she’d like and to trust him. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t wheedle it out of him.

She was excited to see what he had insisted so strongly on picking out. 

As the first notes of the song began, Claire immediately recognized it and broke away from the kiss with a huge grin. 

“You remembered.”

“I could never forget, Sassenach.” And he began to sing to her:

> When I was a younger man, I hadn’t a care  
>  Foolin’ around, hitting the town, growing my hair  
>  You came along and stole my heart when you entered my life  
>  Ooh babe you got what it takes so I made you my wife.
> 
>   
>  Since then I never looked back  
>  It’s almost like living a dream  
>  And oooo I love you.

His forehead met hers and he slowly and gently kissed her, just like that first time. The photographer caught the image perfectly for all eternity.

The treasured photo has a place of honor on their wall.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N (Part Deux): So I was a kid growing up in the 70′s and 80′s. Roller skating was the place where a lot of kids my age hung out. A LOT. This is where young love happened. In fact, songs often take me back to this spot (thank you Spotify for really getting me). I hadn’t heard the Climax Blues Band in an *age*. And it nailed me one night, transporting me straight back. 
> 
> So, yes, we wore short shorts and knee socks (my kids are horrified). I learned to skate wearing bell bottom jeans (it can be done) and was a total wall-hugger during the beginner stage. No, I never managed to skate backwards or in anything but in a circle, but if you wanted to impress a girl, you did this exact thing. I sat out the limbo game because, like Claire, I wasn’t about to wipe out in front of God and everybody. I actually did have a classmate who could do the splits under a limbo bar. She was a great skater and limber AF. 
> 
> Every skating rink I ever went to had a version of The Corner. It was the darkest spot, furthest from any adult eyes that a teenager could get. Nothing much happened there other than kissing. But to a young teenager, well, that was a HUGE thing. 
> 
> I loved to couples skate. However, we just simply held hands. My husband can’t roller skate to save his soul. Bless his heart, he looks like a chicken flapping his wings while taking flight off the roost. But since Jamie is a demi-god, well, he can do whatever-the-hell demi-god stuff he wants. He can freaking couples skate backwards.
> 
> Kids are always amazed that all us “old” folks can roller skate. I like to see their faces when I fly by them in my old-fashioned quads, as they struggle by with their inline skates. And I never. fall. down. [Because, y’all, I can’t get back up]
> 
> Did any of y’all roller skate? Do you have a memory to share?


End file.
